It has heretofore been known to improve oral hygiene by applying to teeth certain non-fluoride containing dentifrice compositions containing a particular strontium chelate, namely strontium disodium ethylenediamine tetraacetate, for example, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,699,221 and 3,988,434. However, a problem associated with such dentifrices when strontium chloride is used as a reactant to form said strontium disodium ethylenediamine tetraacetate in situ is an unacceptable saltiness or metallic tastiness in the product. Amelioration of this problem by the addition of flavoring and/or sweetening agents has not always been achieved. Recently, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,224,310 a particular method of forming said strontium disodium ethylenediamine tetraacetate in situ is stated to avoid the salty or metallic taste problem in non-fluoride containing dentifrices.
However, even with toothpastes containing strontium disodium ethylenediamine tetraacetate which have been formulated in such a way as to be relatively "salt-free" or "clean" tastewise, upon subsequent inclusion of either sodium fluoride or sodium monofluorophosphate as a source of available anti-caries fluoride, the resulting product inherently acquires an unacceptable salty taste due to the presence of such fluoride salt.